Colman Noctor: Students say they want co-ed schools, so why aren’t we listening?

The prevalence of single-sex schools is a unique feature of the Irish second-level education system. This is likely due to the influence of the Catholic Church, writes Dr Colman Noctor

Most students in single-sex schools said they would prefer their school to be co-educational, while students in co-educational schools said they wanted their schools to remain as they are, according to an ESRI report

The university cafeteria where I work was packed last week with secondary school students attending the campus for an open day. They were likely fifth-year students on a school trip to explore future courses and career paths. 

Three schools were represented: One all-boys school, an all-girls school, and a co-educational school. As they tucked into their chicken fillet rolls and wedges, I was impressed by how the co-educational students comfortably chatted and laughed together. They were louder than their single-sex peers and were sitting together as opposed to in twos and threes like the others.

I attended primary and secondary all-boys schools. I chose a career in nursing and later specialised in working with children, so I am often the only male in the room. I have gained much from working in a predominantly female field. In hindsight, however, my single-sex education put me at a disadvantage in how I adjusted to my work environment. I was adamant my children would have a mixed-gender experience throughout their educational journey.

The prevalence of single-sex schools is a unique feature of the Irish second-level education system. The proportion of students attending single-sex schools is second only to Malta in Europe. This is most likely due to the influence of the Catholic Church, which believed in segregating genders in schools. 

As the religious orders have withdrawn from the direct management and day-to-day running of voluntary secondary schools, many have transitioned to coeducational

A new single-sex school has not opened in Ireland since 1998, and post-primary enrolment data shows a steady decline in the proportion of students in single-sex schools since 1972. Despite this trend, the 2022/2023 voluntary secondary school enrolment suggests that 33% of students attend all-girls schools, 26% all-boys schools, and 41% attend coeducational settings.

A recent ESRI report by Prof Selina McCoy and colleagues included insights into the perspectives of single-sex education from students, teachers, and parents. Titled: ‘Embracing Diversity in all its Forms’, the report presents rich evidence from 21 voluntary secondary schools.

A stand-out finding concerned students’ perspectives on single-sex and co-educational settings. Most students in single-sex schools said they would prefer their school to be co-educational, while students in co-educational schools said they wanted their schools to remain as they are.

Fewer than 20% of respondents in single-sex schools preferred their school’s gender mix, compared to almost 90% in coeducational schools.

When the students were asked why they held these views, the most frequent explanation was the importance of girls and boys being socialised together rather than in single-sex settings. 

The other frequently noted benefit of the coeducational school was its preparation for the gender mix young people would experience in third-level education, employment, and broader life.

Co-ed better at fostering social development

In the ESRI study, opinions regarding the impact of single-sex versus co-educational schools on students’ academic development varied, with almost equal proportions of students considering single-sex education as "better", "neutral", or "preferring mixed education". 

However, when it came to social and personal development, preferences are clearer, with most students believing that co-educational schools are better at fostering their social development (82%) and personal growth (62%).

Girls tended to be more positive about co-educational schools’ influence on their social development, with 86% believing they are better compared to 77% of boys.

Conversely, a significant proportion of girls, particularly those in single-sex girls’ schools, considered single-sex education to be better in terms of their academic development (44% girls vs 26% boys). Single-sex schools are typically more socio-economically advantaged, according to the authors of the study. Students with degree-educated parents are also more likely to view single-sex schools positively in terms of their academic development.

A significant proportion of girls, particularly those in single-sex girls’ schools, considered single-sex education to be better in terms of their academic development (44% girls vs 26% boys).

Advocates for single-sex education included staff working in single-sex schools. Some believed that students were more comfortable or better able to learn and develop in single-sex schools. However, few staff members in co-educational schools felt that a single-sex school would be preferable. 

The reasons co-educational teachers cited for this preference covered much the same ground as the student survey: wider subject choice, preparation for the future and coeducational socialisation.

The report states that “the higher up the chain of command, the interviewee was more invested in the existing school gender makeup”, suggesting that single-sex schools meet the needs of parents, staff and school management — not students.

The principal of a single-sex school was adamant that becoming co-educational was not desired by anyone in that school, yet according to a survey of the students carried out in the same school, 72% stated that they would prefer to be co-educational, 17% were neutral, and just 11% stated a preference for single-sex education.

Equal academic outcomes

The ESRI study highlights a mismatch between the attitudes of students and their parents and principals. It also highlights a tension between the purported importance of the student voice in schools’ ethos and the fact that a strong preference among students for their school to be coeducational has not led to change.

One of the main reasons to support single-sex education is the hope of better academic outcomes

However, earlier this year, a joint research project between the University of Limerick (UL) and the University of Murcia found no significant differences in reading, maths, or science for single-sex schools compared to their peers in mixed schools. The determinant of their academic outcomes is far more likely to be a student’s social advantage.

According to Emer Smyth of the ESRI: “Single-sex schools, on average, are more middle-class in intake and tend to draw students of higher initial ability. When we adjusted for social class and prior ability, we found no significant difference in the academic outcomes in either the Junior or the Leaving Certificate. There was far greater variation between schools of different levels of advantage — that’s the real issue.”

If the academic argument for single-sex education is null and void, the potential benefits for students’ social development and personal growth are more compelling.

It’s long been my position that we need to hold firm and give young people what they need instead of what they want. However, when they say they would prefer to be educated in an environment that resembles every other environment they will inhabit for the rest of their lives, this is a compelling argument. It’s one that adults invested in the single-sex education model need to consider seriously.

• Dr Colman Noctor is a child psychotherapist